Firefighters hoping for break from fierce winds that have fuelled LA wildfires

Firefighters are hoping for a break from fierce winds that have fuelled massive blazes in the Los Angeles area, killing 10 people, obliterating whole neighbourhoods and setting the nation’s second-largest city on edge.

The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday, when they first began popping up around a densely populated, 25-mile expanse north of central Los Angeles in California.

No cause has been identified for the largest fires.

The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that has grown used to massive wildfires.

Dozens of streets of scenic Pacific Palisades were flattened to smouldering rubble.

In neighbouring Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.

And new blazes have continued to crop up.

On Thursday afternoon, the Kenneth Fire started in the San Fernando Valley, just two miles from a school serving as a shelter for evacuees from another fire.

It moved into neighbouring Ventura County, but a large and aggressive response by firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.

Only hours before the fire roared to life officials said they were encouraged after firefighters aided by calmer winds and help from out-of-state crews saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region’s two devastating wildfires.

Fire danger warnings are in place through Friday afternoon, but winds have died down from earlier in the week, when hurricane-force gusts blew embers that ignited hillsides.

That could give firefighters a chance to make more progress, but meteorologist Rich Thompson warned the break could be short-lived.

“We’re looking for a little respite on Friday and Saturday from the Santa Ana winds but then they’re going to pick up again Sunday through most of next week,” he said at a fire briefing on Thursday evening.

A firefighting plane had to be grounded on Thursday after it was struck by a drone flown by a civilian, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Nobody was injured.

It is a federal crime to fly a drone during firefighting.

Firefighters made significant gains on Thursday at slowing the spread of the major fires, but containment remained far out of reach.

The Eaton Fire near Pasadena that started on Tuesday night has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.

To the west, the fire in Pacific Palisades, the largest burning in the LA area, has destroyed more than 5,300 structures.

The blaze is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.

Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills with the help of water drops from aircraft, allowing an evacuation order to be lifted on Thursday.

The fire that sparked late on Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.

At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries have been burned.

So too were the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s.

The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage.

AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to 135-150 billion dollars.

California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.

Several weather monitoring agencies announced on Friday that Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024.

Rains that usually end fire season are often delayed, meaning fires can burn through the winter months, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches of rain since early May.

Later on Friday, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said all evacuation orders and warnings in LA County for the Kenneth Fire have been lifted.

Overall evacuation orders have dipped to 153,000 from more than 180,000.

Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said a curfew on all mandatory evacuation zones will start again at 6pm local time on Friday for houses left standing.

Officials imposed a curfew overnight after arresting several people looting in the burned areas.

“You can’t not be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest,” he said.

And Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said he would prosecute anyone looting, those flying drones in the wildfire zones, and those breaking the curfew “to the full extent of the law”.

“Looting is a despicable crime,” he said. “For the people who have already been arrested, please know this is not going to end well.”